


Mel's Marv Muffins

by wishful_stargazer



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Except Rose - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-24 22:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30079380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishful_stargazer/pseuds/wishful_stargazer
Summary: Reggie owns a successful muffin shop with his mother and sister, while trying to make his country music star dreams happen at night. He meets a very special group of people when he is hired to cater a wedding shower brunch. Will they all make beautiful music together?
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Others TBD
Comments: 15
Kudos: 34





	1. Do you know the muffin man?

Pen in hand, Reginald Peters plopped down at a table in the back. The morning rush was over, as were his hours at the shop, but he still found the location an inspiring place to plan and dream. When he wasn’t trying to compose country songs, he was always thinking about his other passion.

Muffins. 

Reggie can’t remember a time that he hasn’t loved muffins. When he was too short to see over their kitchen countertop, his mother got him a little kickstool and he would climb up to help her stir the blueberry muffins she was always baking for him and his little sister Melissa. When she finally divorced nine year old Reggie’s dad she told him over a plate of rich pumpkin muffins iced with cream cheese. His mother cried, and apologized for giving them a broken home. Young Reggie just wrapped his arms around her and said “Mom, he broke it. You’re just going to fix it.” And she had laughed, dotted the cream cheese frosting on his nose, and kissed him. Mel, who was born right around Valentine’s Day, had always had a red velvet cake...until the day Reggie turned it into heart-shaped muffins and she insisted on those ever afterwards.

Easter was just around the corner and it was time to get planning their spring special muffins. Late April, May, and June were some of Reggie’s favorite times of year. There was much more room to experiment with new combinations. Valentine’s Day was always chocolates, chocolate chips, red velvets, pink velvets, and purple velvets (which were ONLY available at Mel’s Marv Muffins), and their special strawberry jam-filled. At MOST they could introduce one new muffin in February, or their regular customers would riot when they couldn’t get their favorite types. Easter was all about the lemons and the coconuts and of course carrot and french toast muffins. After Easter, though, that was when Reggie really got to play.

Apparently the coconut crop had gone crazy this year, so Reggie’s mom was encouraging him to go with coconut while it was still ridiculously inexpensive. He grinned as he realized that would also cut their costs for coconut oil...which meant that now that he’d gotten their sugar supplier to guarantee 100% bone-char free, they could expand their vegan offerings. 

Reggie firmly believed in their slogan “Because sometimes only a muffin will help.” So he always made sure the shop had at least a couple of gluten-free varieties and several vegan offerings in stock. In their neighborhood, the demand for vegan had actually outstripped gluten-free several years ago, and Mel’s skillful negotiating meant that the shop didn’t have to charge higher prices for their specialty muffins. They had quickly become a destination place for all things muffin, rebranding what his mother had envisioned as a coffee shop into a breakfast stop for muffins, and a few light lunch offerings. 

Reggie usually came in straight from one of the small country bars nearby, arriving around 4 am to start baking. They opened at 7 when Mrs. Peters and their two cashiers arrived, and were always closed by 3 pm, which worked out well for everybody. Mel took a couple of late morning business classes before arriving at noon to serve soup, cornbread muffins, and brownies, then stayed late to weigh out the dry ingredients Reggie would incorporate into the wet in the morning.

Reggie would nap before heading out for an open mic night, and his mother could take care of books and ordering before locking up at 5. 

The one firm and fast rule was that only Reggie or his mother ever combined the wet and dry ingredients or actually cooked anything in the kitchen. Reg may have named the shop after Melissa, but the girl couldn’t cook or bake to save her life. Fortunately she could ice a mean brownie, frost muffins or chop veggies as needed, and hear the “ding” of the timer that told her it was time to pull out the Sunday-morning-only mini-quiches.

Reggie looked over his proposed specials on the purple legal pads his sister continued to order for the shop: 

**May-June**

  * Hummingbird banana pineapple muffins with tofu cream cheese filling (vegan)
  * Coconut with black cherry chia jam centers (vegan)
  * Peach streusel with bourbon-coconut whipped cream (vegan)
  * Chocolate chip amaretto (vegan)
  * Strawberry Lemonade (vegan)
  * Almond coconut crunch with apricot jam centers (gluten-free with almond flour)
  * Plum cobbler (gluten-free with oat flour)
  * Blueberry lemon sour cream 
  * Strawberry shortcake with vanilla bean whipped cream
  * Coconut lemon chiffon
  * Black Forest 
  * Double Chocolate Pecan



It was looking good but not great. He thought for a minute, then carefully added:

  * Earl Grey with Honey
  * Pistachio Baklava in Phyllo Muffin Cups with orange blossom water
  * Peach Ginger Turmeric



Perfect. He might have to play with the Baklava and the Turmeric ones, but some of their more adventurous customers would go wild for them. He pulled out the calendar for the upcoming week. They were actually catering a wedding shower brunch on Saturday. If he came in a little early on Friday, he could experiment and throw in a free batch with the shower muffin trees for some feedback. Weren’t orange blossoms considered wedding-y any way? Mel would know.

That would mean extra mini-quiches this week, too, though. Had the maid of honor specified? She hadn’t, apart from vegetarian. Perfect. He would go with sundried tomato-pesto, spinach-artichoke-parmesan, and mushroom-leek-cheddar. He could do all those in his sleep. In fact, since he turned twenty-one and started hitting every country music open-mic night in the city, he HAS made all of them in his sleep while getting ready for the Sunday morning quiche special. (They don’t open until 9 am on Sundays, but getting two kinds of quiches and six kinds of muffins ready for a 9 am open still means Reggie rolls in at 4 am.)

While he added the ingredients for the catering to his list for his mother’s order,Reggie hummed his newest song composition under his breath. He was planning on debuting “Home Is Where My Horse Is” later that night at the Stunning Stallion. Though primarily a local gay bar, their open mics were always available to all AND featured free pink drinks for all the performers. Reggie loved the supportive atmosphere, the icy, frothy pink deliciousness, and the side door where he could quietly slip out with a cute guy, a cute girl, or a cute guy dressed as a cute girl. Nobody cared at the Stallion. 

His phone screen lit up and the caller ID said FLYNN (Molina wedding.) Reggie grabbed his pen and got ready to change his plans. One thing he’d learned about the Force Of Nature acting as the maid of honor for this wedding, she never called without a reason and a very specific vision.

“Hi, Reggie,” she started in, “so I was just checking in to see if you had any good news about the strawberry or raspberry crops? And wondering if you have quiche plans yet?”

“I’ve got you on the strawberries,” he responded. “If you’re wanting to keep it relatively local, I’m afraid the fresh raspberries just aren’t happening, though. I can’t work miracles. That said, I do have some frozen raspberries from last year that I can either work into muffins or we can make a killer raspberry limeade punch. For the quiches, I’m thinking sundried tomato pesto, spinach artichoke parmesan, and mushroom leek cheddar. Did you and the bride get through the muffin tasting I sent over?”

“Yes, we did, and it would almost be worth getting married to get to have another one! Let’s do the raspberry lime punch too. You are incredible!”

“That’s very kind of you. Did she want to go heart-shaped on the muffins?”

“No, that’s not really her thing. She’s more funky than twee.”

“Got it. So what kind of muffins are we making?”

“The lemon curd with the powdered sugar lace pattern, the wild blueberry streusel, the pistachio, and the pink velvet.” Reggie envisioned their crystal tiered serving dishes with the light green of the pistachio, the delicate yellow of the lemon, the gentle pink strawberry velvet and the darker bursts of blueberry in the golden streusel, highlighted by their punch bowl filled with raspberry limeade.

“Oh that will be a beautiful table, Flynn,” he enthused. “We can also take care of coffee and tea service in silver if you want: we don’t do on-site cappuccinos because of the foam logistics, but we can provide steamed milk for lattes, chocolate for mochas, and a few green and herbal teas in addition to Earl Grey. Have you arranged for the fruit and veggie trays yet?”

“Yes, and thank you for the recommendation. He saved me almost 30% over the grocery store prices I was looking at AND offered me a heck of a deal on orange juice for the mimosas. Oh, and that reminds me…”

_ Here it comes,  _ Reggie thought.  _ We’ll see if this completely changes my plans or just reworks them… _

“We have had a little bit of a venue issue come up. Julie’s Tia Victoria was all set to host, but the quake the other day busted a pipe in her building and she’s currently living in a hotel. So we’re moving the party to the groom’s workplace.”

“Oh, okay, well that should be doable,” Reggie shut his eyes. The address on file was only a few minutes from the muffin shop.  _ Please don’t have this guy work somewhere halfway across town. _

“Yeah, if anything, I think it should make things easier transportation-wise. He actually works at the record store just a few streets down from you. The only thing is, they decided to go ahead and shut down the store for the party on Saturday so now he and all his closest friends have decided that they should actually COME to the shower.”

Reggie’s jaw dropped. “Um, Flynn, just how many additional guests are we talking about here?”

“Well, um, probably fifteen or so?”

“So fifty percent more people?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much the size of it. And they’re primarily going to be younger guys, so I was thinking that we should probably just double all the food orders...can I just give you a credit card over the phone for the difference? I know it’s late notice, but…”

“We can make it work, Flynn,” Reggie said.  _ I just won’t get my recipe testing in this weekend, but it’s all good _ , as he crossed things out and made notes on his legal pad. “I think we should add a fourth type of quiche...do you still want all vegetarian? I can do a roasted red pepper and goat cheese or we could add one with sausage or bacon if you prefer. Mom does a nice spin on a BLT with bacon, leeks, and tomatoes if that would appeal. And we were originally sending 4 dozen muffins...do you want to stay with 4 varieties and just make 2 dozen of each? That would be 96 which would give you around two muffins per person, plus don’t forget we have the brownies. You were skipping the cornbread ones that come with the soup and getting mini-croissants, right? I don’t know if we can double the croissant order at this point, I will have to check. For the soups we were going to do a cream of asparagus and a sweet corn chowder with crab. We’re not going to be able to source more crab or corn or asparagus at this point. How about a white chicken chili? Have you talked to Dave about the fruit yet? Because I know you didn’t want a bunch of melons as filler.”

“Yes, I called him first and he said he can make it happen. And white chicken chili would be perfect. The guys will love it.”

“One other item, Flynn, I know we had talked about cutting the brownies into musical notes, but at this point it will save us time and you money if we just go with squares. My sister can pipe eighth or sixteenth notes or whatever you want in white or pastel colors over the fudge icing.”

“Yeah, that’s not an issue. White eighth notes would be great.”

“Okay, then we’re probably fine. I’m afraid this may increase the cost by a little more than double though, because I’m still going to have to absorb some last minute pricing on equipment rentals to keep the soups hot and the drinks cold and it may involve some overtime by our employees.” He did some quick figuring. “I think we can do everything for 20% over twice your original quote...maybe a bit less if I can’t get all croissants and have to settle for rolls and french breads and such.”

“Wow, really? That’s great, I was prepared to pay through the nose. Remind me to recommend you to everyone I know.”

Reggie laughed. “Let’s hold off on that until Saturday afternoon when we’ve successfully pulled it off.”

“I have faith in my man Reggie,” Flynn countered back. “He’s got this.” 


	2. Bad Reputation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the Molina bridal shower...and Reggie meets several amazing and interesting people there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is, of course, "Home Is Where My Horse Is" by Jeremy Shada.

Reggie grabbed the remaining bags out of the back of the old school Volkswagen bus the shop used for deliveries. Painted the same rich purple as their signature purple velvet muffin with “Mel’s” scrawled across the door in script, it was recognizable wherever they went. 

Inside the record store, Reggie’s mother was surveying the final setup. The asparagus and sweet corn soups were ready, crab available for non-vegetarians who wanted it. The white chicken chili was now a white bean and poblano pepper chili with shredded chicken also available. Apparently the bride had been insistent that the default dishes be uniformly vegetarian, although she herself was not one. Reggie and his mother had kind of shrugged over that but were happy to make it happen, although it complicated their logistics and raised the costs a little over his estimate. He and his mother had reworked the goat cheese quiche recipe several times that week and Reggie smiled a little to himself as he saw her pop a final bite in her mouth as a sort of last taste test. 

“Verdict?” he asked.

She laughed. “My official verdict is that if there were something wrong it would be too late to change it. Unofficially, though, yes, this is perfect. Sweet bell pepper, tangy goat cheese, the whisper of balsamic and just a dash of fresh ground pepper. You’re too good for a muffin shop, Reggie, you should have been a master chef.”

“But then how would I share my other great gifts with the world, Mom?” Reggie started to sing and spun his mother into a slow waltz. “Home, what is it really? Sometimes it’s a someone and not a place, it’s that feeling of being safe…” He leaned over quickly to dip her.

“Am I early?”

Reggie quickly swept himself and his mother upright and scanned the room. He saw a girl about his own age of Indian descent wearing a dark purple dress the color of their signature muffin with a matching stripe of purple weaving through her deep black hair. He smiled. “EIther you’re a little early or we’re super late. Assuming that you’re here for the Molina wedding shower and not just some random customer looking to buy a record at 9 am on a Saturday carrying around a gift for no reason.” He gestured at the pink gift bag in her hand. 

She giggled. Reggie thought it sounded like a bubbling fountain and wanted to hear more of it. “I’m Reggie, by the way. This is my mom, Hope Peters, and somewhere wandering around here is Flynn. She’s probably convincing Jake to build her a new store right about now because she does NOT think this venue is good enough for her bff’s bridal shower. And Jake is complete putty in her hands so he’s almost certainly just nodding and asking her how many windows she wants.”

She tilted her head to the right a little. “That sounds like Flynn, definitely. And pretty much every guy she has ever cast her spell on.” She stepped into the main space and held out a hand toward his mom. “Hi, I’m Grace, Ms. Peters.”

“Please call me Hope, Grace. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

Reggie, meanwhile, had peeked at his phone. “Yes, looks like the guest of honor is arriving at 10 and we were expecting the main event to kick off at 9:30 so you’ve got a little time to spare.” He bowed low. “May I relieve you of your bags, madam?”

She giggled again and Reggie’s heart flew straight up to heaven. She dipped into a shallow curtsey, “Why, yes, kind sir, your assistance would be most welcome.”

“Excellent!” He looped his fingers through the handles of the gift bag, deposited it at the gift table, showed her where she could find her name tag, and hung up her coat for her. 

“The coffee is almost ready if you want to give us a minute,” he offered, “Or we can do tea now...well...hot water that will turn into tea, anyway. That is to say--”  _ Jeez, Reggie, WHY are you so bad at this?  _ He forced himself to count slowly to five. “Let me try that again. So, Grace, depending upon your beverage preferences, I can offer you hot water and some Earl Grey, or green gunpowder, or jasmine tea, or we also have a really amazing citrus herbal that my mom would probably sell my kidney for. We also have an herbal peppermint if you’re feeling like some herbal tea other than the citrus. But to be clear, that WOULD be a mistake. Still you do you. Alternatively, we will have coffee and decaf coffee with hot milk available in about ten minutes. We also have iced tea in the fridge now, and if you are NOT in desperate need of caffeine in the morning, we are about to whip up a crazy good raspberry limeade if you are a non-drinker or orange mango mimosas if you prefer to get liquored up before the sun gets too high in the sky. Can I get you something?”  _ Okay, well, you still babbled on and on like a doofus, but at least it all made sense and was in English. I think. _

Grace looked a bit dazed after the flood of information about beverage choices Reggie had just metaphorically drowned her in, but she rallied, smiled at him, and said “I think I will hold out for the crazy good raspberry limeade...how could I pass that up?” Her voice was amused but her eyes smiled up at him.

“Madam is clearly a woman of taste,” he winked at her. “If you will kindly step into the ‘party area’ I will summon Flynn for you and then get busy creating your limeade. In the meantime, would you like a muffin? We have pistachio, lemon curd, blueberry streusel, and pink velvet.” 

“A muffin would be great, thanks,” Grace laughed again. “You are clearly the expert. Surprise me.”

Sixty seconds later Grace had a chair, a pistachio muffin, and a Flynn squealing in welcome. “GRACE! Oh my god we still weren’t sure you could come! Julie will be...there are NO words. Come help me teach this Jake person to hang the twinkle lights…”

*****

“Flynn?” Grace tugged on her friend’s handbag, trying to divert her attention from Jake, who had just stopped hanging lights and was trying to pull apart another knot in the cords...for the fifth time. 

“You know what, Jake?” Flynn said to him as kindly as she could. “Let’s agree that twinkly fairy lights are not now and not ever going to be one of your talents. That’s on me for trying to make you into someone you just aren’t. Why don’t you go help Reggie and Hope get the pastries set up and we’ll take it from here. Thank you for trying.”

“Sure, Flynn, if you think that’s best?” the blond boy looked sadly at his feet, oozing misery from every pore.

“I do. I really, really, REALLY do, Jake. But thank you so much for trying so very very hard to help me. You were wonderful.” Still staring at the ground, he blushed a bright shade of red that Grace, if asked, would have sworn was unnatural outside of perhaps bird plumage or a particularly gaudy insect. But the proof Grace would have been wrong was right there, still staining poor Jake’s cheeks.

And that, Grace thought, was why all the sweethearts fell head over heels for Flynn. It wasn’t just beauty, which she had to spare, and it wasn’t just her take-charge attitude, which lots of them were also drawn to like moons to a planet. It was her kindness. Flynn would have cheerfully eaten a live hedgehog...or force fed one to anyone who tried to get in her way...if it would guarantee a perfect day for Julie. But she would still take the time to break Jake’s heart gently, even as the precious minutes ticked away and she could feel the flames of panic flickering through her friend’s system. 

Jake shuffled off in the direction of the food area, and Grace and Flynn locked eyes. “On it, chief,” Grace snapped out, disentangling the light string with a couple of practiced twists of her wrist. 

“My girl!” Flynn crowed approvingly. “Let’s get these up so I can get all the news before the rest of them show up and get their hands on you.”

“Actually,” Grace cleared her throat as she tacked up the lights, “I was kind of hoping to pump you for a little information. About your caterer?”

“Hope? Oh, she’s the greatest there is--”

“Well, she seems great, yes, but, um, I was actually kind of wondering what you could tell me about Reggie, her son.”

Flynn’s eyes went huge. “Reggie? Really?” 

“Yes, I--”

“Grace, I love you, but, sweetie, Reggie’s not really your type. He’s a total sweetheart but he’s also a total bad boy want to be country star type. We’ve had a LOT of meetings over the past few weeks and most of them have been around 6 am while he bakes...and he’s usually still covered in somebody’s hickeys or perfume or both. I know he spends a lot of time at the Stallion, and, um, his reputation isn’t for being super choosy most of the time.”

Grace definitely didn’t have any interest in someone described as a “total bad boy want to be country star type”...but she also couldn’t quite make that description fit with the Reggie Peters that she had just met. “You’re telling me that the guy out there dancing with his mama who runs a business named after his kid sister, the guy I just met in the other room, is some kind of super smooth player type?”  _ He offered me like thirty kinds of things to drink and practically talked me through making tea and coffee...does this sound like a guy who specializes in one night stands and getting women and/or men out of their pants on a regular basis? He sounds more like the guy who insists on clearing the snow off of your car or giving you his coat. _

“Seriously, Grace.” Flynn’s expression was somber. “We’re all so incredibly happy you’re transferring here and we’ll find you someone amazing.” She rolled her eyes. “It WON’T be Reggie effing Peters, though.”

*****

Julie Molina, the bride, smiled at Reggie and he almost melted into a puddle of goo right there on the floor. “Hi, I’m Julie, and thanks for all the tweaks and changes and accommodations. I know it couldn’t have been easy from your end.”

Julie’s presence is so warm and generous. Reggie practically wants to hug her on the spot. He is, of course, aware that this would go over extremely poorly, not only with Julie herself, but also with the hazel eyed groom hovering protectively over Julie’s shoulder, as though daring the men of the world to approach her and see if they live to see the next day. Reggie’s not attracted to Julie in that way, though. He just looks at her and sees someone that...fits. He already loves her and he’s not sure why. He does know that the groom (Lou?) doesn’t have anything to worry about as far as the men of the world are concerned. Julie and he practically vibrate in sync. Reggie can almost see the electricity flowing back and forth between them, pulling them together when it’s strongest, stretching out like a thin rubber band when they separate briefly until it snaps them back together.

“No worries on the food thing at all, Julie. All anyone here wanted was for it to be perfect for you.”

She smiled and glanced around. “It looks like it is. Thank you for that. Flynn said you play at some of the open mic nights she’s caught around town?”

“Yeah, here and there. I’m not great at accompanying myself though. I’m better at the bass.”

Suddenly Lou(?) who had been bouncing back and forth from foot to foot while scanning the changes in the record store went utterly still. Then he unceremoniously shouldered his way right in front of his surprised fiancee. "Dude, did you just say you play the bass?"


	3. Welcome To The Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Molina wedding shower is here.

“Uh, yeah, I play bass,” Reggie took a quick step back as Protective Groom guy was suddenly, unexpectedly two inches away. He could actually see the bits of gold gleaming in the guy’s eyes.

“Honey, you’re scaring Mr. Peters,” Julie said, as she placed a hand on her fiance’s chest and gently nudged him a few steps back from Reggie. “He’s a nice guy who makes muffins from heaven and brownies worth dying for and if you terrify him he won’t want to work with Flynn any more and she will kill you. Please dial it down a little.”

“Julie, he plays the bass, and you sing, too, clearly, right?” The groom shifted his gaze from Julie to Reggie.

“Uh, yeah, tolerably well--”

Julie gave Reggie a sympathetic look. “Reggie, have you met my fiance, Luke Patterson? He’s the absolute love of my life, a supremely talented musician and songwriter, the best friend anyone could ever wish for, and when he sees something he wants, will NOT be deterred by even the best meaning friends or family or what normal people would consider basic courtesies of interacting with their fellow humans. For all our sakes, don’t be modest and just answer him on three simple points: 1) can you sing 2) do you have any interest in joining a rock band as a bassist and backup vocalist and 3) could you realistically put up with this maniac for 20-30 hours or more per week. I can assure you that even as the love of my life, sometimes item 3 is a challenge even for me.” 

Luke smirked down at Julie. “Yeah, but nobody gets you like me, Jules. You wouldn’t punish yourself just because I’m an annoying maniac. You’d rather stay around and poke at me about it” He twirled a curl around one of his fingers. 

She smiled knowingly at him and held up her hand to display a gorgeous purple stoned ring. “Indisputably true. Now shush while I try to humanize you in the interest of acquiring a bassist.”

Reggie opened his mouth, wondering if he had l recovered the power of speech yet. “I’d be interested.” It appeared that he had. “I mean, I’d have to see what kind of music we’d be making and I’m sure you’d want some trials and run-throughs, but if we’re going for ownership of our own greatness here, yes, I can actually sing, and I am pretty proud of my bass playing. And I generally consider the opportunity to associate with fellow musical maniacs a benefit rather than a negative.”

Luke’s face broke out in a smile. “See, Jules,” he bragged to the petite Latina, “he already likes me.”

“He likes you now that I’ve put you in context for him,” she corrected. “Before I started talking to you I’m pretty sure he was going to club you over the head with the coffee pot and run as fast and far as possible.” She winked at Reggie. “Even if you actually DO find all of this stuff by him  endearing, please never admit it. Our fans really dig the beanies and if his head gets any more swollen they won’t fit him any more.”

Reggie laughed. “Got it. So you’re in the band as well. Do you play? Sing?”

She nodded. “Keyboard and lead singer. We have a drummer too but we just lost our second guitarist-slash-bass player.”

Her fiance snorted. “Lost our accountant, you mean.”

Julie rolled her eyes. “It is not a crime to decide that you have life goals you want to pursue other than playing music. It’s okay for Nick to join an accounting firm, propose to Pamela, and live his own life, Luke.”

“It’s just going to be his loss a year from now when we’re living the dream and on our way to legendary status,” Luke complained. “We are so freaking close, I can FEEL it.”

“Well, then, in that case, if we’re going to be huge and this isn’t his passion, he could be doing us a favor. We can let him count up all of our millions for us in a year when we’re superstars,” Julie teased.

Reggie tried not to grin but it just came bursting out. “I’m here for the millions. Nice to know I still have a chance at getting in on the ground floor. So, music? Auditions? Is there a manager I should meet besides your drummer?”

Protective Groom Who Is Apparently Named Luke actually bounced in excitement. Cool, cagey guy now looked like a six-year-old right before bedtime on Christmas Eve. “Alex is here, let me get you guys hooked up and Flynn you already know. She’s our manager.”

“And she’s going to give you a hard time about stealing one of her baker contacts and making him a band member, you know,” Julie said. She glanced over at Reggie. “Her full time business is party planning and I know she wanted to talk to you about at least three more upcoming projects after today. She’s been super impressed with your whole operation.”

“Well, that’s definitely great to hear. If it helps, you can assure her on behalf of Mel’s Marv Muffins that even if the musical collaboration is a total failure I will always be happy to be her go-to muffin guy. If we become certified rock stars though, I may have to hire someone to come in for the daily baking, at least during tours outside the greater LA area.”

“See, now, this, THIS is the spirit, Jules,” Luke gestured at Reggie. “This is a musician who bakes, not an accountant who plays music.”

Julie winced. “Don’t encourage him Reggie, please. He and Alex have known each other since before they can remember. I need someone on my side.”

Luke scoffed. “Play your tiny violin elsewhere, boss. Alex, the traitor, defected to you within an hour of hearing you sing. And Reginald hasn’t even heard a note from you yet and is already backing you.” He grinned at Reggie. “I thought you were going to hit on her, but now it’s all clear. Musicians can’t help it. They all fall under her spell.”

“She definitely casts a spell, no offense, Julie,” Reggie smiled at her, “but I think I may have met the one for me already.” Dark brown eyes and soft black hair highlighted by a flash of dark purple danced through his brain. This was shaping up to be a GREAT day.

*****

The drummer, Alex, was nowhere to be found. Luke was clearly annoyed, but settled for introducing Reggie to a Carrie (apparently a former roommate of Julie’s) and her girlfriend Kayla before taking off in search of his missing bandmate.

“We’re the evil vegetarians,” was Carrie’s opener. “Sorry about the menu switch-ups. The thing is, me and my dad have been vegetarian my whole life, and whenever we go somewhere that people order us special food, it inevitably sounds good to the rest of the guests as well and is usually the first thing GONE. So someone orders a bacon and tomato quiche and also a spinach artichoke one thinking that we’ll have something to eat...and then we don’t get a piece because one of the people the host assumed would eat bacon went for the spinach. Anyway, I guess I grumbled about that a bit too much to Julie over the years because she was dead set that I was going to be able to eat anything I wanted today. And Kayla is a vegan, so she really appreciated your muffin choices too. In any case, everything was freaking spectacular, so thank you!”

“Interesting point about the vegetarian/vegan issues,” Reggie mused. “I’ll have to remember that for future catering discussions. I’m so glad you enjoyed everything!”

Kayla joined the conversation at that point “Enjoyed? If it weren’t for Carrie here I’d be trying to seduce you right now for that pistachio muffin recipe. And, oh, lord the pink velvet with the coconut whipped cream center?”

Reggie laughed. “Come by the shop after Easter. We just finalized some new deals with our suppliers. How does peach streusel with coconut bourbon whipped cream sound? We’re also doing a hummingbird cake spin with a tofu cream cheese filling, a chocolate chip amaretto, and a coconut filled with black cherry chia jam.”

“I don’t know if I approve of you speaking to my true love that way,” Carrie said, trying to look severe, but also winking at him and failing miserably. “I want to be the only one putting that look on her face.”

Kayla came back with “If you liked it than you shoulda put a ring on it, sweetie.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Carrie smiled down at the other girl. “Why don’t we grab a few mimosas and talk about that somewhere quiet? Reggie, will you excuse us?”

  
  


*****

“Reggie, this is FINALLY Alex,” Luke popped up out of nowhere as Reggie was refilling the electric soup tureen for the third time. People had gone mad for the sweet corn, which was just barely coming into season. He made a quick mental note to see if they could get some in for a daily special in the next couple of weeks before turning around to see a devastatingly handsome tall blond wearing a crisp baby blue button down shirt that matched his eyes. He didn’t quite make eye contact with Reggie and seemed a little self-conscious.  _ So many super pretty people, and yet none of them know it….except Luke who is only TOO obviously aware of it.  _

“How’s it going?” Alex held out a hand.

“Nice to meet you Finally Alex. Me, I’m Still Reggie,” Reggie joked. The blond drummer chuckled, then winced.

“Oh, man that was so bad,” he said. “That was so awful I might even have to forgive Luke for basically tackling the first bass player he saw and just be grateful it was you.”

“Isn’t this all a little ahead of things?” Reggie asked hesitantly. Not that he had any doubts about his ability to shred on the bass. Or the banjo. Or if need be the guitar, for that matter. But they all seemed so certain this was a done deal. It was all a little perplexing.

“Oh, we’re going to make you audition your ass off, Peters,” Luke said. “Otherwise you wouldn’t respect us. But I’m never wrong about this stuff.”

“Not even about the accountant?” Reggie wondered.

“Not on me!” Luke smirked. “Pre-existing friend of the bride. Not sorry to see him departing. But he did play a killer bass so our stuff is no walk in the park for you. Hope you can handle it.”

Reggie nodded. Challenge accepted.


	4. Taco To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie auditions for the band and offers Julie a bribe.

Reggie let the last note of his proposed bass line die off into the silence. “Better?” he asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear them say it.

Julie beamed from behind her keyboard, Alex smiled from behind his drums, and Luke, who seemed to reflexively shift into some kind of motion at the mere whisper of a hint of any music in the air broke off his bouncing and launched in Reggie’s direction with a hug. “Genius! Oh, that makes me want to rework that one riff you know…”

Julie broke in. “Before you start rewriting our whole catalog around Reggie maybe we should vote and ask him if he wants to join the band?”

“Sure!” Luke cheerfully accepted her suggestion. “Anyone here crazy enough not to want to upgrade to a seriously superior bassist? No? Okay, good. Reggie, you’ve seen what we play and where we do it and who we are. Do you want to be a part of it?”

Reggie raised his hand for a high-five. “Badly enough to bribe Julie with an unlimited supply of vegan muffins.” Luke smacked his palm happily.

Julie took that opportunity to speak up. “Just because we would have taken you without it doesn’t mean I’m not holding you to that bribe.”

“I was hoping you’d let me bribe you for something else instead,” Reggie admitted sheepishly. “Could I have a second of your time?” 

“No worries,” Luke said easily. “Alex, what do you think about taking a short vocal solo here? It would hit your voice right in its sweet spot and lead beautifully into your next spin at the drums...the crowds would go wild...”

Julie got up from behind her keyboard and pulled Reggie aside. “So what’s going on?” she asked. 

“I was, ah, wondering if you could check with Grace and see if she’d be willing to let you give me her number...or just have you give her mine if that makes her feel more comfortable,” Reggie explained. “I wanted to ask her at the shower but we didn’t manage to reconnect once the party got started and I just thought that maybe she would be open to hearing from me. I know she’s new in town and...anyway, yes, if you could ask her, that would be great. Free muffins either way, of course!” he joked, trying to come off as casually as he could.

Julie smiled at him, that same warm, open-hearted smile with a hint of knowing mischief that he had been instantly drawn to at the party. “Sure, Reg, I’ll check with Grace,” she suddenly giggled. “If this works out, you and Alex may have both met people at my shower...what are the odds of that?”

“Really, Alex?” Reggie was kind of surprised that the drummer didn’t already know most of the people in attendance.

“Yeah, Luke doesn’t even know yet, but apparently the reason he vanished for so long was because some guy came by the record store not knowing it was closed. I guess he and Alex talked music for over 45 minutes before Flynn interrupted them.” She held her right forefinger to her lips. “Mum’s the word, though because Luke is super supportive of Alex but also has...shall we just call them “lower than average” boundaries?” 

Reggie burst out laughing. “I love the way you just call him out. No holds barred.”

She shrugged. “He does the same for me with my many, many flaws. But just let anyone try to hurt him on my watch…”

Reggie understood. As a new band member and potential inner circle, Luke’s fiancee was both welcoming him in and warning him off. He wanted to be a part of what they were building more than ever. This was more of a family than a band.

*****

“Honestly, Flynn, whatever his track record, he seems like a total sweetheart to me,” Julie maintained. “Don’t you think it should be up to Grace to decide if she’s looking for more than he is wanting to offer? Not every relationship has to be Love Everlasting.”

Flynn started to chuckle...and didn’t stop. She laughed for a solid minute. “Easy for you to say, Ms. Met My Soulmate at Fifteen and Never Looked Back.” 

Julie shrugged. “Well, perhaps you should heed my Vast Accumulated Wisdom, then, Ms. Beloved By Millions, Single By Choice.” 

Flynn mimed stabbing herself in the heart. “Betrayed. Cut down in my youth by my own bestie in favor of some pink-cheeked emerald-eyed bass player. That hurts, Molina. HURTS.” 

_Pink cheeked, emerald-eyed?_ A very unwelcome thought flashed through Julie’s brain. “Um, Flynn, you’d be straight with me if there was more going on here than you not liking him for Grace, right?”

Flynn gave her a baffled look. “More like what?”

Julie sighed. “Just doing a quick check, you’re not liking Reggie for yourself, right?”

  
“Oh! No! Sorry, that was just how my bartender at the Sexy Stallion described him. Tim, I think, definitely has a crush, though.” 

“Ah, okay. So, Flynn, let’s talk this through for Grace, then. Shouldn’t she make this decision for herself?”

“Well, I mean, she kinda did. After we talked at the shower she was totally fine with avoiding him the rest of the day.” Julie rolled her eyes at her friend’s dodging of the question at hand. “Okay, okay, fine, that was before she knew he was definitely interested. I guess text her and see what she wants.”

Julie smiled smugly. “I knew you’d come around. Already done. AND she wants his number. Who knows, maybe he’s exactly what she’s looking for after the whole Brandon fiasco.”

Flynn mimed the stabbing for the second time. “You’re seriously lucky I am such a good friend that I forgive you for all your disrespect and your repeated betrayals.” 

*****

”Hi Reggie, this is Grace, how are you?” Grace typed out, then deleted. “Hi Reggie, was great to meet you. This is Julie’s friend Grace.” Deleted again. “Hey, Reggie, Grace here from the Molina shower?” “Hi, this is Grace, Julie’s friend. I hope this is Reggie?”

Worse and worse. When Grace had decided that she wanted to see what might happen between her and Reggie, or at least that she wanted to talk to him some more, she had asked Julie for HIS number instead of giving him hers. She felt more empowered that way, like she had some control over their initial interactions.

Control, she was discovering, sliced both ways. She now had the full responsibility for INITIATING their first interaction. And she was making herself a little crazy over it. Far too crazy for a twenty-three year old woman, but when she thought of Reggie’s face dancing with dimples, she kind of felt like she was trying to approach her first crush all over again.

So she procrastinated. She unpacked a few boxes of her kitchen stuff. She made a grocery list. She took a shower. She painted her finger and toenails. Finally she decided what she was going to say. She plopped down on her bed, grabbed her phone and went with:

**Grace: Hey, Grace here, from Julie’s shower. I hope this is Reggie?**

**Reggie: Hi! Yes, it’s Reg, the muffin man**

**Grace: Yes, I heard you had the muffin hookup. But word on the street is that it’s actually all about the sweet corn chowder…**

**Reggie: Actually at the moment we’re featuring an avgolemono and an italian white bean and fennel**

Reggie wanted that one back as soon as he sent it. _Stop talking aimlessly about food, Reggie. Good grief. Ask her out..._

**Reggie: I mean, actually, our sweet corn is amazing and we’ll be featuring it next week if you want to stop in for a bowl.**

**Reggie: That is to say, I would love to buy you a bowl of anything any time...but since the sweet corn isn’t until next week, maybe we could grab tacos or something? Assuming you eat tacos.**

**Grace: Are there people that don’t eat tacos? 😉**

**Reggie: Probably. But I certainly wouldn’t recommend associating with them very much.**

_Okay, maybe that was a bit better?_

**Grace: Agreed. A tacoless existence would be a sad thing.**

**Reggie: Imagine a universe with no tacos!**

_Oh man, Reg, what are you DOING?_

**Grace: Why would I ever want to contemplate such a soulless and barren wasteland?**

**Reggie: Agreed. So could I rescue you from a tacoless fate tomorrow evening, maybe?**

**Grace: Sounds good. I’ll see you then.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UnsaidIvy helped me enormously when Grace and I were both stuck for how to approach texting with Reggie. If you like this chapter, she deserves a generous helping of the credit for it.


End file.
